DIGITAL digest

ROCHESTER, NY—With Graph Expo 2007 just around the corner, Eastman Kodak recently leveraged its sponsorship of a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver to stage a memorable analyst and press briefing event. The company signed on as primary sponsor of the No. 12 Dodge Charger driven by Ryan Newman at three major races, including the Centurion Boats at The Glen race at Watkins Glen International in nearby Watkins Glen, NY, which the group attended.

The racing theme carried over to the next day, as Kodak announced it is filling the need for speed by introducing the Nexpress S3000 digital production color press at Graph Expo. This latest model produces 100 pages (A4 size) per minute and is scheduled to be available in October.

Eliminating the need for pit stops, the new Kodak Automatic Pallet Loader for the Magnus VLF platesetter was also set to make its debut in Chicago. The unit holds up to six pallets, each containing as many as 600 plates, for a maximum 3,600 plates loaded without manual handling.

In addition, the company scheduled a series of special events and activities at the show to kick off a celebration of the 40th anniversary of its continuous ink-jet (CIJ) technology. CIJ currently drives the Kodak Versamark D- and V-Series ink-jet printing product lines.

Among the other news highlights from the Rochester briefing was release of the “Extreme Marketing Success: The Story of Variable Data Printing” DVD, which was sponsored by Kodak. This educational DVD for marketers explores the components of a successful VDP program through a series of expert interviews and detailed analysis of real-world case studies from a variety of industries. Advertising Age magazine, Printing Impressions magazine, the U.S. Postal Service and Pitney Bowes collaborated with Kodak in the production of the DVD. It is being provided to MarketMover Network members.